Help!! Chicks Eating Paper!!

[pooderpie77]

My babies are two weeks old tommorrow. They are doing great but they have started pecking and eating the newspaper and actually ingesting it. One will peck and get a small peice then the others will give chase like it's some kind of treat. I've watched them carfully and they are pecking the paper to bits and actually eating it. Is this going to hurt them? Do they maybe need grit? They have starter grower 24/7, but I've not started taken them out side yet. Maybe they need some outside time to scratch in the grass. Anyone have any ideas about this?

Thanks,
Kirstie

 

[CarriBrown]

Take out the newspaper because it can cause leg problems. Replace it with pine shavings and put paper towels over it.
Sprinkle a little bit of their food on the paper towels so they know what it is they are supposed to eat. After a few days, when they get the hang of it, take the paper towels out so they are on the shavings.
They may eat a little bit of shavings but that's ok.

 

[pooderpie77]

They are eating the grower/scratch with no problem they even ate some chopped up grapes last night. So it's not that they don't know what to eat. I'm just concerned with the paper not digesting in their crop. I'm sure they have quite a bit in there right now. I guess I'll just keep an eye on them and change to shavings like you said. The feed is alos in a chick feeder so they dont get a ton on the ground.

Thanks for the reply!

Kirstie

 

[EmsoffLambs]

Chicks actually only need to be on paper for the first few days until they learn to eat their feed instead of the shavings. I'd just replace the paper with shavings.

 

[hinkjc]

I agree that newspaper should not be used at all..it can cause leg problems. Paper towel is better to cover shavings for the first few days, then onto shavings directly once they're eating their chick starter from the feeder.

If you are feeding grapes (which I don't think is a good idea for 2 wk old chicks), then they probably do need some chick grit. You should be able to get some at the local feed store or TSC.

Jody